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| HistoryThe Women in John Deere's Life |
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Jeannette Deere Chapman
1830-1916
Jeannette Deere, the eldest daughter of John and Demarius Lamb Deere, was born in 1830 in Leicester, Vermont. Jeannette was seven when she traveled with her mother, brothers Francis Albert and Charles, and sisters Ellen and Francis Alma to join her father John in Grand Detour, Illinois, where he had begun a successful business.
Little is know about Jeannette's life in Grand Detour, or after the family moved to Moline, Illinois, until she was married to James Chapman, a lawyer, in 1851. Chapman was a colorful addition to the Deere family, and his father-in-law welcomed his perspective and advice regarding business.
When it came to politics, though, the two couldn't have been further apart. During the Civil War, John was an active member of the newly formed Republican Party and a strong anti-slavery abolitionist. Chapman, on the other hand, was an equally strong pro-slavery anti-abolitionist.
Chapman fought the war for the Northern army and returned to Moline after his service. However, no further record of him can be found.
Jeanette was the last surviving member of her immediate family, dying at the age of 86. Her life was devoted to her family, though she had been greatly interested in the development of the city of Moline. Jeanette quietly assisted many benevolent enterprises and her obituary notes how "her charm and remarkable personality made for her a host of friends both at home and abroad."
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